System for mineral hardness management

Abstract

The disclosed systems and methods for maintenance of an enclosed body of water generally include mobile systems and / or methods for removal of mineral hardness and other particulate impurities via lime softening filtration. Chemicals are added to a body of water containing unwanted mineral hardness (or other particulate impurities) and mixed to assist dispersion. The chemicals react with the hardness minerals making them insoluble. The resulting precipitate falls out of solution to the bottom of the body of water for subsequent removal via filtration. This eliminates or otherwise reduces the need for draining water and / or adding new water to a body of water to maintain proper mineral hardness balance and / or concentration of other particulate impurities.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 807,369 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jul. 14, 2006 by David Morgan.FIELD OF INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally concerns the chemical and mechanical removal of impurities from enclosed bodies of water; and more particularly, representative and exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally relate to improved methods and systems for removal of minerals, lipids, and other impurities from swimming pools utilizing a mobile lime softening filtration system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Society's fascination with enclosed bodies of water reaches back to ancient times. As early as the 3rd millennium, B.C., a “great bath” was constructed and was perhaps the world's first swimming pool. Artificial swimming pools, ponds and fountains were popular in the ancient West and East alike, from Greeks, Romans, to Ancient Sinhalese. In fact,...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]In various representative aspects, the present invention provides a system and method for maintenance of an enclosed body of water. Representative aspects of the invention are based on a technique known as lime softening. Several chemicals are added to a body of water containing unwanted mineral hardness and mixed to assist dispersion. These chemicals react with the hardness minerals making them insoluble. The resulting precipitate falls out of solution to the bottom of the body of water for subsequent removal via a filtration system. This eliminates or otherwise reduces the need for new water to be added to the body of water for draining purposes.

Problems solved by technology

Maintaining enclosed bodies of water, particularly those in areas where the water supply is mineral rich (i.e., “hard”), or bodies of water with frequent human contact can be difficult.

As these minerals accumulate, both mechanical and aesthetic problems generally occur.

Conventional mechanisms for removing unwanted mineral deposits in water body enclosures may prove to be both difficult and expensive.

Particularly in areas of the country where water scarcity and drought conditions exist, this can be an expensive, environmentally unfriendly, or legally restrictive task.

Higher pH dramatically reduces the sanitizing power of the chlorine due to decreased oxidation reduction potential, while lower pH causes user discomfort, especially to the eyes.

Unfortunately, a commonly used non-chlorine supplemental oxidizer, potassium monopersulfate, can produce measured 650 mV levels even in the absence of all sanitizing residuals.

Pool sanitation, which necessarily involves toxic or mechanical means of killing microbes, can sometimes unintentionally irritate the users, especially if poorly maintained, such as when a high level of chlorine and / or low pH exists.

Non-chlorine sanitizing chemicals and devices are promoted as being less harsh, but any sanitizer may have harsh unintended consequences if overused.

Water circulating through a pipe may be sterilized with UV light instead of chemicals, but some level of chemical sanitizer is still needed, because only a small portion of the pool water passes through the circulation system at any given time, and the circulation system typically only runs for a few hours each day.

The proper management of a backyard swimming pool may be a difficult and time-consuming task.

Either of these will make the water smell and look unpleasant and can be a serious health hazard.

The water must also be kept clear of debris such as fallen leaves and sticks, as these encourage fouling and become very slippery and dangerous as they start to decompose.

Most people keep their pool either covered over or drained entirely during the months of the year in which it is not in use, as this is the easiest way to keep it sanitary (draining however can be a serious safety hazard with deeper pools and re-filling can be expensive in areas where water is scarce).

Chlorine generators avoid the need for constant handling of sanitizing chemicals, and can generate sanitizing power at a lower cost than the equivalent chemicals, but they have a large up-front cost for the apparatus and for the initial loading of the pool with salt.

Pool water that splashes and evaporates, such as on a pool deck, leaves a salt residue.

There are several disadvantages to weekly shock treatments, including that the chemical calcium hypochlorite is an extremely strong chemical, and can be harmful to contact with the skin, as well as if inhaled.

Additionally, the use of chemicals requires swimming pool users everywhere to perform at-home approximate stoichiometry, which may prove difficult.

Of course, draining a swimming pool can be an expensive, environmentally unfriendly, and enclosure-damaging proposition (as sometimes enclosures warp after the weight of the water is lifted).

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